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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians trained to confront and defeat explosive Unmanned Aerial Systems during an I Corps-hosted interagency exercise at McChord Airfield on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
EOD technicians from the 707th Ordnance Company (EOD) “Thunderbirds” and 787th Ordnance Company (EOD) “Sasquatches” worked together to render safe the simulated explosive payload on a drone during Operation Cascade Defense.
Many other joint and interagency partner organizations participated in the exercise, including the FBI Seattle Office’s Special Agent Bomb Technician and Hazardous Evidence Collection Team, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Department of Emergency Services and I Corps Protection Cell.
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington-based 787th EOD Company and 707th EOD Company are part of the 3rd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional and deployable CBRNE formation.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
1st Lt. Charles M. Paschal, the 2nd Platoon leader for the 707th EOD Company, said Operation Cascade Defense gave the U.S. Army EOD technicians the chance to hone their lifesaving and mission enabling skills.
“This was one of the most realistic training exercises that EOD units at Joint Base Lewis-McChord have been able to experience,” said Paschal. “There was little to no simulation involved with the training and everything was done like it would on a live response call.”
Paschal said the 787th EOD Company response team also trained with a military police escort and live explosive tools.
“They even had an FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician present to help guide the 787th EOD Company technicians on what the forensics process for prosecution would look like in the real world,” said Paschal. “I helped to coordinate with the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Department of Emergency Services to plan the operation and coordinate with our local FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician to be present during the exercise.”
Originally from Atlanta, Paschal earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis on forensics from the University of North Georgia. He became an EOD officer because he wanted to help keep his fellow Soldiers safe.
Paschal said the exercise prepared the EOD technicians to confront and defeat the emerging and ever-changing threat of drone attacks.
“The EOD teams received great feedback speaking to the professionalism and technical expertise that was displayed by the response team along with the mastery of their craft,” said Paschal, who previously responded to a domestic EOD call in Seattle when law enforcement officials discovered a large stockpile of ordnance.
Sgt. 1st Class Adam L. Ritter from the 787th EOD Company created the drone and the training explosive device attached to the drone. He also served as the observer and controller during the exercise to ensure the response team took the proper safety precautions to render safe the drone and explosive device.
1st Lt. Luke M. Gualtieri, the 1st Platoon leader from the 787th EOD Company, served as the duty officer during the exercise where he directed his EOD techs and managed the scene while keeping the Provost Marshall Office informed and ensuring the area cordon was secure.
“Exercises such as Cascade Defense prepare our EOD techs to better conduct their overseas and domestic missions by placing a large emphasis on interoperability,” said Gualtieri. “It is easy in a training scenario for a team leader or duty officer to notionally manage aspects, like a security cordon, but when they must do it for real it is not only a learning experience but it also identifies weak points, which helps develop future training plans.”
A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Russian from the University of Pennsylvania, Gualtieri responded during a mission to dispose of World War II era ordnance that washed up on a beach in Washington state.
Gualtieri said Operation Cascade Defense helped his EOD techs to forge a stronger relationship with Joint Base Lewis-McChord Emergency Response personnel.
“Although this was a training scenario, it could very easily become a real-world incident,” said Gualtieri. “If we train together on a variety of incidents, it will allow us to operate together should an event arise.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2024 15:14 |
| Story ID: | 478147 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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